The Magpies might be in New Zealand but there are still calls going in from St James’ Park in a bid to strengthen Alan Pardew’s squad.

Where will the next signing come from and when will it occur? It would appear Arsenal could represent the most likely to provide a new face – or two – for Newcastle.

Costa Rican forward Joel Campbell has been told he is unlikely to be figuring for the Gunners’ next season, but Arsene Wenger does not want him to return to Greece with Olympiacos.

That has created an opportunity for clubs like Newcastle and Sunderland to throw their hats in to the ring, with Wenger keen to see how Campbell performs on the Premier League stage.

Newcastle need a striker and getting one in on loan could be a short-term solution, knowing Alexandre Lacazette has signalled an intention to stay at Lyon for a further year.

Newcastle do not want to pay £16m for Lacazette, so that has led to Pardew and chief scout Graham Carr weighing up options. Campbell is certainly one.

Transfer likelihood rating: 7/10

Sunderland

IN terms of transfers, it is Sunderland who are now being linked with more players than anyone. With the clock ticking, the need for Gustavo Poyet to add to his squad is becoming more pressing.

Sunderland need new players, that’s obvious, but that is proving more difficult than it should be. The situation with Fabio Borini, who would cost £14m from Liverpool, has complicated things because Poyet can’t wait around forever for him to make up his mind.

Sunderland need new players and ideally will get them so that they can at least play one game during next week’s pre-season trip to Portugal. Who they are, though, is unclear.

Joel Campbell is certainly one, while Uruguayan winger Cristian Rodriguez is a different option. The South American clearly wants to join Sunderland and for £4m it could well be a deal that happens in the coming days.

Transfer likelihood rating: 7/10

Then there is Morgan Amalfitano. Just weeks after his younger brother Romain left Newcastle after a thoroughly pointless couple of years on Tyneside, Morgan has arrived on Poyet’s radar.

Sunderland's manager knows all about him having scouted him during his time at Lorient, before the player ended up at Marseille. This summer he is leaving if a club agrees to pay £1.5m.

West Brom, where he spent last season on loan, have been credited with an interest again and Sunderland are keeping him on the back burner. Poyet wants to sign others first to see how much he has remaining, then he could make a late August move for the Frenchman.

Transfer likelihood rating: 6/10

Middlesbrough

Aitor Karanka wants a new forward and right-back, but it is a different left-back which has been linked with Boro this time.

Liverpool’s Jack Robinson spent last season on loan at Blackpool and the Reds are happy for him to head out again to gain further experience.

At the start of the summer a different left-back option was high in Karanka’s thinking, but it is more about other positions now. At this stage Middlesbrough are in need of more bodies and Robinson could yet find himself on Teesside. He has also played on the right before.